08/20/2026
I’ve been truly inspired for many years by this incredible woman.
Thank you, Sacramento Bee, for highlighting the contributions of someone who gives so much to all of us, including the residents of my mighty little city. Whether it’s West Sac Kids Give Back Annual Care Package Event, Our Annual Badge of Giving Toy Drive, or West Sac Girls Give Back events, Joy always shows up in West Sac to serve. So proud of you, Sister!
For Joy Gonzales-Cabatic, community involvement is a generational effort. She’s inspired by the hard work and dedication of her parents, who brought her to the United States from the Philippines as an 8-year-old, and hopes to inspire her own children.
There’s always an opportunity to help others, to uplift others,” Gonzales-Cabatic said. After coming to the United States, Gonzales-Cabatic, 46, whose father served in the U.S. Navy, lived in Pittsburg, Alameda and Vallejo before coming to Sacramento in 1998. A Sac State graduate, she has been with the state Department of Tax and Fee Administration, which administers California’s sales and use, fuel, to***co, alcohol and cannabis taxes, since its inception in 2017.
Before that, Gonzales-Cabatic worked for the state Board of Equalization and has nearly 25 years of service in state government.
She is the vice president of the Asian-Pacific State Employee Association and also works with My Sister’s House and the Olivia Chan Foundation. My Sister’s House offers support to survivors of domestic violence and trafficking, including shelter, counseling, legal help and a 24-hour multilingual hotline, Gonzales-Cabatic said. The Olivia Chan Foundation, created by the parents of a girl who died of cancer, supports children, teens and young adults dealing with grief. Gonzales-Cabatic said she got involved with the organizations “wanting to give back to the community, wanting to help others, wanting to make an impact.”
She credits her family and her three children for inspiring her, and said she hopes to continue working with the organizations and perhaps others in the future. “I’m really grateful for what I have now, so I think that’s what drives me,” she said.
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Gonzales-Cabatic is one of the 2026 Change Makers, an award from The Sacramento Bee and the Nehemiah Leaders Programs.
